Grittibanz: Nice Little Swiss Bread Men
Before Christmas, Elena and I had the good luck of being invited to Monika’s house to make Grittibanz. Elena wants me to quote her as saying they are “nice little Swiss bread men.” They are a German-speaking Swiss thing and even though I lived only about 30 minutes from the Swiss border while in Germany, I had not heard of these little guys before Monika. They are a very plain bread dough that is shaped into breadmen and then decorated. The beauty of the Grittebanz is that they can be eaten as either a savory or sweet accompaniment and we have done both at my house. Recipe? Try this one from Helvetic Kitchen. Monika’s is from a cookbook that I should not plagiarize. There is also not a way to truly describe how much fun it is to say the work Grittibanz. Give it a try using a good Swiss-Deutsche accent (or really any accent at all). This is just a fun work to say and a fun thing to make. They are supposed to be made for St. Nicholas day (December 6th) but I am of a mind set that these guys are cute year round.
Want to learn more about St. Nicholas Day traditions? Read below:
Celebrate a German Tradition, St. Nicholas Day
St. Nicholas Day, Encyclopedia Britannica
Celebrating St. Nicholas, The Slovenian Times
